Machine eok stretching leather



B. ROWB. `BELT STRETGEER.

No. 8.052. Patented Apr. 22, 1851.

.NRSN

ma 'scams c. PMoTaLmw., wAsHlNcTaN o c .i BRADFORD Rows?, onf-ALBANY, "New fronfxg 'MACHINE Fon s'rnnrcinna LEATHER. f

To all whomdmay concern: 4

\- iBe it fknownthat `I, Blmnrosn` Rows, off

l the cityv ofAlbany` and` Statewof uNew yYork, fhavefiinvented a new and useful Machinegfor 5 T the Purpose of Stretching Leather, which. I: call Rowes BeltlStretching Machine 4 l and-IH declare lthefollowing,specification `with the drawings hereto attached as part of 1thesameto-bea fulland accurate descrip-ly tionthereof. f l l l0 h y Figure 1i, represents ,the plan of the maf A tchine; Fig. i2, represents.averticalsection` through thejcenter of. the holding` board, clamp and visewith the stretchedlleather `its place, thesection beingin the line andj for the distance m y shown in the plan.

RUAA Aisastrongftable or frame supporting at each extremity, uponsutcient upright supports 'a stretchingl apparatus, extending across the entirewidth of the table consisting of `a shaft c turned by a winch near each extremity of which are small cog wheels Z which gear into `and drive wheels `e e larger than themselves-"these Wheels (e e) are fixed on shafts which lie under the table and are not shown in the drawing, and which havealso upon them small wheels n; the latter in turn cog into wheels? f f fixed each upon the end of barrels g, h which turn loosely upon a rod or shaft that runs through the axis of the barrels from end to end. `On each of the barrels is astud or pin s for the purpose of catching into the links of a chain lc by which the motion of the barrels is communicated to each end of the vise V which holds one end of the leather to be stretched. This vise is shown in section in Fig. 2. It consists of a lower jaw 1 and upperjaw 2 between which the leather isgripped, 3, a top bar supported upon thelower jaw by `a screw standard 4 at each end thereof. Through the center of this top bar a vertical screw passes to force down the upper jaw upon the lower one, or the same thing is done as shown in the drawings, by an eccentric lever 5 travel` ing in a slot. l

B, B B, vrepresents the holding board, which is a piece of strong plank about the width of, or a trifle wider than the leather to be stretched. Its main part is arched vertically lengthwise and is in length equal to` that length of the leather, which` lies be-I tween the vises before the stretching operation is commenced. Portions of the lower ends of the board are extended in tenons m which pass through miortises `cnt in theI lower jaws lto `keepthe vises in-pla'ce andtinsure steady working oftheiapparatus. i The operationfof stretchingflis thus performed. The board B .being laidnupon the `tableAwithjits tenonsyinserted into the y 4mortisesof the` vises. l The leather L (shown byits color in the drawings is `laidtupon the :board and its ends `secured ein the-Vises, `which are placed up 'against the ends of the mainyboards. 3 The Winches are `turned at each endoof lthe'imachine andktheleather y stretched out ina" direct imannenby. the similarand equal movement of the barrels.

``Whentherleatherhas been .well stretched in this --manner, vit will be, seen that one end of the leather has morewtension than `the other, 1n consequence of the different qualityfofthe fiber, whichalways exists-Tin the `ianimals xliin. This yirregul'arityA is aegreat evil Vin the character of beltingfpreventing belts from adhering with a fair surface of equal tenacity to pulleys. When this is discovered the remedy is effected by stretching' `the slack edge of the leather,

ner. Suppo-sing the edge S S to be the slack one, the wheels e, e, on the stretched side areto bestopped by the pawls P fixed for that purpose and the wheels al on the same in this man- Side ShOVed 01113 0f gear with the wheels `e,

Now turning the Winches will move only the barrels It and draw` equally each end of the side s, s, of the leather as shown in the drawings. i

When the stretching is accomplished, the

next process is to secure the leather to each end of the holding board. This is done by the clampl composed of the three arts or slats E, G, K, each of equal length, ein so much longer than the width of the boar as to" allow the use of a screw bolt or pin at each end to hold them together G being so thick as to ll the space between the tenon of the board and the leather-and the other two sufliciently thick to operate `firmly as a clamp. The clampbeing applied firmly in its place wedges W, W are driven in between the clamp and the ends of the board so as to keep the leather from retracting. Each endbemg thus secured the vises are released and the board with the leather removed to season. Other leather and a new board being substituted, the work can be repeated with an indefinitenumber of pieces of leather.

" In Fig. 1 onel end of thehleather shown,

as in thevise alone-the other in the vise with one clamp applied.

The process of stretching leather has been done by a direct pull drawing 'upon the fibers equally through its whole Width. Also by fixing one or both the clamps holding the leather upon a center pin or swivel from which the draft was made allowing the leather in some degree to accommodate itself in stretching to its inequality of fiber. But

board whilst damp and lat full stretch works great economy in completing the process. f

I do not claim the shafts, Wheels, chains and vises by which the process of stretching is done, that may be effected by various Inechanical arrangements.

I claiml. The method or device of stretching leather, especially for belting, by the use of apparatus so arranged that after a piece' of leather has received by an equable strain applied to its ends for their whole width; the proper stretch that the material can bear on or along one edge thereof, if it be found that the'other edge and parts intermediate between it and the lirst edge, (from the difference in quality of fiber), has not received its proper tension the further stretching of the firstside shallbe stopped whilst, by the yapplication of t-he mechanical stress at the other edge of the leather, 'it and the parts between it and the first side, shall be duly stretched, substantially in the mannerl set forth in this specification.

2. Iclaim the holding board as essential, in all leather stretching apparatus, where it can be applied in keeping the material, whilst being stretched from contracting in width and becoming defective thereby.

I claim the holding board with its clamps and wedges in combination with the apparatus ,for stretching, for the uses and purpose, substantially as set forth in the abovev specifieation.

, BRADFORD ROWE. Witnesses:

RUTH VARUH DE WITT, l J. B. BRINSMADE, Jr. 

